A look ahead to five title games
Here’s a quick look at the five Metro teams that will play for state football championships Saturday: 1-A: Liberty-Brentwood plays Sierra Canyon-Chatsworth, which averages 423 yards, almost evenly divided between the rush (231 yards) and pass (192). Small but fleet EJ Gable (5-foot-6, 150 pounds) has rushed for 1,520 yards and 23 touchdowns and sophomore quarterback Chayden Peery has thrown for 2,805 yards. 3-AA: Menlo-Atherton plays Lincoln-San Diego, which forfeited two games but has won five straight — including 54-42 over Culver City in the 3-AA SoCal title game. Senior running back Carlito Nothaft has rushed for 1,273 yards and 16 touchdowns, and sophomore QB Raymond Spriggs has accounted for more than 2,300 yards and 22 TDs. 3-A: Wilcox-Santa Clara hosts high-scoring Kaiser-Fontana, which has won 13 straight. Senior running back Christian Hunter (6-0, 190) leads the nation with 3,635 rushing yards (10.3 per-carry average) and 54 touchdowns. 4-A: McClymonds-Oakland, which won its third straight NorCal title, plays GarfieldLos Angeles, which has outscored foes 503-145. It has four shutouts and is led by 5-6, 170-pound running back Peter Jason Garcia (1,778 yards, 22 touchdowns). 6-A: Lincoln-San Francisco, which had a bye after winning the San Francisco Section title, faces Orange GlenEscondido, which features 5-10, 180-pound junior running back Cael Patterson (2,321 yards, 28 touchdowns). Key injury: If De La Salle’s defense, considered one of the best in school history, didn’t look up to par during Saturday’s 35-21 Open Division state title game loss to Mater Dei-Santa Ana, there were good reasons.
First was the superior talent of the nation’s top-ranked team: Bryce Young, the country’s top-rated junior quarterback, threw for 296 yards and top-rated senior athlete Bru McCoy had seven catches for 125 yards and a TD. The Monarchs also rushed for 167 yards.
The Spartans also were hurting: Henry To’oto’o ,a preseason All-America linebacker, played with a broken foot he suffered during a walk-through practice Friday. He played sparingly — and only on defense.
“Frankly, he played on one foot all night,” De La Salle head coach Justin Alumbaugh said, noting there was no chance of further injury. “We would never put our kids in danger to win a high school football game.”
De La Salle could have used him on offense, too. The Spartans averaged less than 1 yard per carry (a 27-yard loss on a bad punt snap and a couple of sacks contributed mightily to that count) and To’oto’o, the team’s thirdleading rusher, was their best inside, power runner. Gridley tournament: Salesian-Richmond, The Chronicle’s preseason No. 1 boys basketball team, made a statement Saturday with a 75-59 win over defending Northern California Open Division champion Sheldon-Sacramento to win the 65th annual Gridley tournament. JoVon McClanahan had 24 points and Shane Bell 22 for the Pride (6-0), who earlier defeated third-ranked Riordan (69-57) and Gridley (76-37). McClanahan was named tournament MVP and his twin brother Jaden and Bell were all-tournament. … Riordan (3-3) finished third after a 61-51 win over No. 9 BransonRoss behind all-tournament selections Bryce Monroe and Je’Lani Clark, who scored 16 and 14 points, respectively. Branson (3-2), which beat second-ranked Dublin 66-57 in an opener, got 15 points and eight rebounds from Viktor Rajkovic. … Dublin (4-1) rebounded with two straight wins, including 78-57 over 10th-ranked St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda as Robby Beasley scored 14 points. Elite Showcase: With future head coach Tara VanDerveer in attendance at Chabot College, Stanford commit Haley Jones showed why she’s rated the No. 1 player in the country with 30 points, 22 rebounds, four assists and three steals in Mitty’s 67-29 win over Christian Brothers Sacramento .… Washington bound 6- foot -3 post Ali Bamberger had 18 points and 13 rebounds as No. 6 Carondelet-Concord defeated Bear Creek-Stockton 55-36. … Sophomore Mia Mastrov had 10 points, 10 rebounds and five steals and 10 other teammates scored as No. 7 Miramonte-Orinda (6-1) defeated Presentation 56-30. … Malia Mastora had 13 points as fifth-ranked St. Joseph (4-1) pulled off a 43-29 win over No. 12 Sacred Heart Cathedral (2-1), which got 13 points from Dylan Benitez. MaxPreps senior writer Mitch Stephens covers high school sports for the San Francisco Chronicle.